The family-owned business, Chameleon Concessions, 2801 East Hennepin, has been building custom concession trucks for over 30 years, working with burger joints to bicycle repair shops.
Mark Palm, the owner of Chameleon Concessions, began his food truck days by running a hot dog stand and then working with Tool Box Deli food stands at Home Depot locations around Minnesota. After years of gaining industry knowledge of concession equipment and truck business plan essentials, he decided to custom manufacture trucks and create partnerships with local shop owners.
“I started building trucks when Minneapolis food truck codes changed and made it harder to park your truck around the city,” Palm said. Wanting to help others get a solid start to their concession truck journey, Palm started a business that would take off.
Chameleon Concessions also manufactures indoor food halls, custom builds, concession trailers and carts.
Palm helps his clients find a truck, purchase cooking products from local partners, write up the menu, and ensure their concessions truck is up to code before sending his customers out on the road.
Palm doesn’t provide trucks to clients but has connections for his clients to use when finding a truck. The business builds concessions mainly out of old trucks, Airstreams and trucks sold by partnering businesses. In the past, they’ve worked with old Fed-Ex delivery trucks. Some of the local companies Palm regularly works with are Wrightmark Plumbing, Iron Man Motors, Pixel Works, Andy’s Electric and St. Cloud Fire Summit.
“We get a lot of returning customers who had us build their first truck,” Palm said.
Customers return to his shop for upgrades, repairs and sometimes a second truck.
Palm’s family takes part in the business—his son builds trucks alongside Palm, his daughter runs its social media and his wife covers the paperwork and financial side. Palm’s son has built food trucks that partner with breweries in Northeast Minneapolis.
When the pandemic hit, bringing fewer walk-in customers, businesses had trouble staying afloat. Stores nationwide reached out to Chameleon Concessions for building mobile locations. With a mobile site, stores can bring their products and services to customers.
During the pandemic, Palm worked with bicycle shops, grocery stores, hair salons, large resturants and businesses providing services to the community.
After Palm’s wife lost her job due to the pandemic, he had the idea to put together a mobile pet grooming shop for her to run.
“We love the neighborhood and helping people build their dream trucks,” Palm said.
One of Chamelon Concession’s most notable builds yet is in progress and will launch Spring 2022. Palm is designing food trucks for Capital One Center’s rooftop entertainment center and 18-hole mini-golf course in Tyson, Va. The park is called “The Perch.” One of the trucks is a double-decker London-style bus. Each food truck will be lifted 11 stories to the rooftop entertainment park.
The Capital One Center build is the beginning to more opportunities with big entertainment centers and large partnerships for Palm and his family.
Below: Mark and Luke Palm build made-to-order food trucks in Northeast. (Provided photo)
